A selectmen’s workshop on marijuana dispensaries sparked a tense clash Wednesday night between board members who argued over what would happen should the town have one.

The biggest question before the members: Would such a dispensary cause more crime?

Board of Selectmen Chairman Stephen J. McKinnon fears it would, and lobbied for stringent local regulations. But he faced criticism for his stance.

“Your subjective opinion that this is going to bring more drugs into town has no bearing on facts,” Selectman Allin J. Frawley told McKinnon.

Frawley, the only board member to tour such a facility, cited the crime statistics of Los Angeles and Denver dispensaries.

“Crime drops around these places,” he said. “They’re more secure than any other facility.”

“(My opinion) is based on facts,” said McKinnon. “I want to keep (marijuana) as far away from my downtown as possible.

The debate came as local communities – preparing to host the dispensaries – discuss zoning ordinances that would help control where they locate.

More than 100 groups have applied to operate the nonprofit centers, which will be allowed after voters approved a state law in November.

The applicants are competing for a maximum of 35 licenses. The dispensaries will make marijuana available to patients with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease and AIDS.

A number of cities and towns across the state have imposed moratoriums on dispensaries, but at least three South Shore communities – Quincy, Norwell and Randolph – have enacted zoning laws that would allow dispensaries in designated locations.

The impact the dispensaries will have on local communities is not clear.

“There is no evidence whatsoever that there is any increase in crime around a dispensary,” said Frawley at the Middleboro meeting. “Your idea you’re going to put this out in the woods somewhere because it’s a crime problem is ludicrous. The facts are there’s no increase in crime.”

After the flare-up between Frawley and McKinnon, former Finance Committee member Diane C. Stewart noted there has yet to be a death from a marijuana overdose and cautioned the board against “ignorant votes and ignorant statements.”

Selectmen have already voted to support a zoning change that would allow marijuana dispensaries in the town’s general use district, along Route 28.

The Planning Board will hold a Sept. 24 public hearing on the measure before taking it up at the Oct. 7 town meeting.

Health Officer Jeanne C. Spalding urged the board to regulate marijuana dispensaries through local health regulations and adopt “lawful local oversight.” Spalding said state regulations allow dispensary owners to monitor and regulate themselves.

Page 2 of 2 - “Unfortunately we’re stuck with this ‘reg’,” she said.

Spalding’s draft regulations would step up oversight at a local level and include prohibiting free samples, setting business hours, and requiring food-handling certificates and periodic inspections.

Because medical marijuana can be dispensed as an edible product, Spalding has qualms that state regulations do not consider it a food.

“I’m very concerned with having a product going out to people that are sick,” she said.

Selectmen, acting as the Board of Health, can adopt regulations without town meeting approval.

“Pursue the avenue of control as much as possible,” McKinnon told Spalding.

Medical marijuana won’t be cheap. Frawley said it sells for market price, and is tied to the street value. Frawley said the theory is to discourage people from selling medical marijuana on the black market for a profit.

An ounce of marijuana, whether sold on the street or distributed at a dispensary, could sell for about $400, according to the website High Times.

The state is requiring applicants to submit a $1,500 application fee and prove they have at least $500,000 in capital available to them to make certain they are financially viable. They will be subjected to a background check and must disclose whether any member of the proposed organization has a felony drug conviction.